More Than an Idiot
by antaguirre
Summary: Yuri has never had a good opinion of herself, or of other people for that matter, but with Tomoko, it's different. Yuri wants to get closer to her
1. Plan

Yuri woke up tired, twisted and sweaty, clutching her pillow to her chest. Half of her blankets were on the floor and the room was littered with stuffed animals. Yuri's head was laying on the flat mattress as rays of light shined in from the blinds, burning her eyes.

"Gahhhh" Yuri groaned burying her face in her pillow, "I dreamt about her again." She lifted her head. "Surprisingly tame considering the other dreams."

She sat up, ruffled her hair and stretched. "Fuuucckkk." she yawned. She started patting the bed, moving her blankets, looking for her phone. She found the earbud cord, which promptly lead to her phone.

"Hmm, still kind of early." Stretching again, she put in her earbuds and wrapped her arms and legs around her pillow. "It wouldn't hurt for just a few minutes. _Hehe."_

A few minutes turned into thirty.

After the _short nap_, Yuri felt more tired than when she initially woke up. Skipping breakfast and nearly missing the bus, she barely made it to school on time. The adrenaline gained from rushing helped wake her up a bit, but, in the end, it only made her more irritated.

Walking through the halls with Mako, she felt more like a straggling zombie than a high schooler. She could barely find it in her to keep up her (already half assed) "normal active girl" face.

_My head is pounding. I can't focus. I feel like shit. I just want this day to be over. _

Yuri pinched her nose bridge

_What's that noise?_

"Tamura, Tamura." Mako snapped Yuri out of her daze. "Are you paying attention?"

"No" Yuri answered point blank.

Mako sighed, but gave a small smile. "It's ok." She tried to put a hand on Yuri's shoulder. Instinctually, Yuri flinched. Embarrassed, she looked down and took a step back.

"No, I'm sorry. I forgot for a sec." Mako consoled

"Yuri, I-I don't mean to be rude, but, did you get enough sleep last night?"

Yuri looked away fidgeting with her hands behind her back.

"Yes."

Mako's smile started to fade, "Yuri, it's me, you don't have to lie."

Yuri looked back at Mako and sighed, "No."

"Was it trouble falling asleep or bad dreams? Do you want to talk about it?"

Yuri put her hands in her pocket. Playing around with something. "It's...the usual dreams."

_I'm acting like a spoiled brat again. Maybe I am no different from Minami. I wonder if Mako won't want kids in the future because of us._

"It's-,"

Yuri's head started to pound. "Agh." She held her head.

"Yuri? A-are, do you need to go to the nurse's office?" Mako looked worried

Yuri took three deep breaths,

_One… two… three._

"No," she regained her composure. "It's fine."

_Where is she? Where's Tomoko. She's why I'm tired. I want to see her now!_

Just then, the source of her distress came walking down the hallway. With Yoshida's arm wrapped around her back, Tomoko was talking with her about something, something that couldn't be heard.

_I want that._

When Tomoko and her _new pal _reached Yuri and Mako, Yoshida released her hold of the unpopular girl. Yuri put her hands back in her pockets.

"Morning, Yoshida, Kuroki." Mako cheerfully greeted.

"Yo." Yoshida greeted back with a two-finger wave.

"M-morning" Tomoko greeted Mako nervously.

_Is she scared of her?_

"Morning, Yuri-chan." Tomoko greeted, giving a shy smile.

_That damn smile._

"Morning, To-Tomoko."

A brief silence followed. Yoshida rubbed the back of her head, starting to blush. "Um, Mako. Could I talk to you for a while, privately?"

Mako was about to accept, but before she did, she glanced at Yuri for confirmation. Yuri noticing, gave a quick nod.

"Sure." Mako gleefully accepted.

Mako leaned towards Yuri and whispered, "Thanks, if you need anything call me. You'll get though today, remember your stims."

Mako turned towards Yoshida, took her hand, and started leading the way. Yuri and Tomoko watched as Mako and Yoshida walked down the hallway out of sight.

They were now alone.

Yuri was trying to avoid eye contact by looking at an uninteresting school spirit poster.

_This is what I wanted. Why can't I say anything? Think of something. Something simple, she's an idiot… like me. _

Yuri started to murmur, "Did you have a goodnight."

_Dumbass!_

Tomoko was caught off guard. "Uh, yeah, well kind of, heh." Tomoko cradled her hands together. "I kind of stayed up all night watching a new anime. Uh not _new new_ but, new to me."

"What's it about?"

"Heh just a show about four girls being lesbos for 20 minutes. There's not much of a plot, but it's, interesting."

_Four lesbos? Have I seen something like that before? If I watch it, we would have something to talk about. Maybe if we get into it, she would even want to re-enact a scene from it._

["Yuri-chan a-are you sure about this. I mean, were both girls." Tomoko blushed. "Heh," Yuri pushed Tomoko against the wall. "You and I both know that won't stop our love, Tomoko-kun." She leaned in for a kiss.]

Yuri's mind started to wander as she unconsciously started fiddling with the thing in her pocket.

"Hey, Yuri. I've been thinking. Uh, it's been some time since we had lunch together, did you maybe want to do that tomorrow?"

Yuri answered without thinking, "I'll think about it."

_Coward_

"Sure, yeah, hehe um, just let me know if you change your mind." Tomoko clenched her skirt, shifting her gaze to the floor. Silence followed.

"Should we head to class?" Tomoko pointed down the hallway.

"Yeah."

The school day was over, Yuri was sitting with her knees to her chest at an uninhabited part of the school. She had her ear buds on, listening to her "afterschool" playlist. She was trying to fidget with a new cube that Mako recently got her; it wasn't as good as her rubber band.

_Sigh_

Yuri craned her neck back, looking up at the amber sky.

"Why didn't I say yes?"

"Whatcha got there?"

Yuri snapped her neck forward to see the pink haired girl standing in front of her.

"Nemoto-san." Yuri said with a vacant tone "Nothing." She slowly put the cube in her jacket pocket.

"Doesn't look like nothing." Nemo teased putting her hands behind her back.

"Go away."

"Come on now, don't be like that." She looked around. "Where's Tanaka?"

"Finishing up club stuff."

"So you're waiting for her to walk home." Nemo said more as a statement than a question. "I bet you wish you could walk home with Kuroki."

Yuri's eyes widened, she looked away to hide her expression. "What would make you say that?"

Nemo skipped to the side to get in Yuri's view.

"Come on Tamura, I can see the way you look at her, treat her, but of course, who wouldn't she's a dummy."

Yuri scowled at her. "Don't-"

"But you probably see more than just a dummy, don't you, Tamura."

Yuri's expression turned from anger to confusion. Nemo turned around for dramatic effect.

"She talks about you, you know. She talks about you _a lot_. No matter who we're hanging out with, she mentions you one way or another. How you're cool, complex, how you don't take crap from anyone and if she had to have sex with a girl, she would choose you."

"Liar."

Nemo turned back around. "Ok the last one was exaggerated a little, but the rest were true." She grinned. "She more interested in you than you think. I'm sure she would be more than happy if you tried to get closer to her.

Yuri didn't know how to respond. So she kept silent.

"Based off of what I've seen, you have trouble expressing you're feelings with her, right? So, why not start off small, try asking to walk home with her and go from there. Yeah?"

Yuri got up from the ground and slowly walked towards Nemo.

"Eh." Nemo took a step back

"I'll consider it. Thanks for the advice, Nemoto-san." Yuri said in a manner that came off much more intimidating than she intended.

"Eh, uh, no problem. _Ahem_." Nemo adjusted her sweater. "I hope you can eventually get your special someone."

"Nemoto, where are you!" Yuri and Nemo heard a voice in the distance.

Nemo giggled. "Like I have." she started jogging towards the voice. "Coming A-kun." Before Nemo went out of view, she gave Yuri a wave followed by a peace sign.

"What the hell." Yuri mumbled to herself waving when Nemo was out of sight.

"What was that?"

Yuri turned around to see Mako walking towards her.

"Nothing… How was your time with Yoshida-san?" "Hm-hm-hm." Mako hummed. "You know her, she's shy when we're alone." Mako twirled her hair. "But once she opens up, she's really something else."

Mako started to blush realizing what she was saying. "Sorry you probably didn't want to hear all that." She said frantically shaking her hands.

"No." Yuri said. "I'm happy to hear that, I'm happy for you and Yoshida."

Mako glowed. "Thanks Yuri. That makes me really happy to hear that." She faced the school gate. "Shall we walk home?"

"Yeah."

The sun was setting as the two girls made their way home.

"Did you have a good day?" Mako asked.

Yuri thought for a second. "Yeah, I guess I did." Yuri paused. "Mako, I'm going to leave school a little latter tomorrow."

"So were not walking home together? No problem. Are you going meet up with someone?"

"Yeah." A grin started to form on Yuri's lips. "Tomoko."


	2. Lunch

"Fucking idiot asshole, God dammit!" Yuri yelled as she punched her wall. "Idiot Idiot!" She kept repeating to herself.

"I said it wrong, I said it wrong. I should've asked her_ if_ she was ok walking home alone." Yuri slapped her forehead throwing her head back. "On top of that I don't know if Tomoko even wants to walk home with me."

Yuri started pacing the room, wrapping a rubber band around her fingers. This is bad. Mako probably thinks she's a shellfish prick while Tomoko thinks she's a stuck-up bitch. Her vision started to double as her breathing increased. She started wobbling. Yuri snapped the rubber band to her wrist.

"Music, that'll clam me down. _Like always."_

She picked up her headphones from her desk and put them on. These were much nicer than ear buds, better acoustics. Yuri sat on her bed, with her legs crossed. Clenching and opening her fists, she took three deep breaths and pressed play on her "Home-Weekday" playlist.

A gentle pour of music flowed from the headphones, filling Yuri's mind with ease. Her breathing started to slow as the rhythm of the music dictated her heart beat. She grasped the sheets beneath her.

_Breath. One… two…. three_

She tapped her fingers to the beat. "Its fine, it's fine." Yuri calmed herself "What's done is done. I'm sure Mako doesn't mind, _Yeah_. Tomoko, I'll text her, no, I'll ask during school to walk home together." She started toying with her hair. "If she says yes good, if not…"

Yuri punched the wall. The vibrations knocked over a nearby stuffed animal.

"Dammit!"

That hurt. Yuri rubbed her knuckles. She grabbed her pillow, hugging it tight. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly into it. She set the pillow between her legs, squeezing it. She laid back, rolling side to side.

"Tomoko… Tomoko, _ha." _Yuri fidgeted.

She stopped moving and stared up at the ceiling. With a bang, she slapped her hand on her desk and felt around. Her hand found and picked up the D*sneyland cow keychain. She held the keychain up and looked into the cow's eyes.

"I-I want to know." The cow dangled above her. "I want to know who you are, what you think, what makes you mad, what makes you cry, what makes you laugh, what music you listen to, if you think of me, what books you read, if you have stims, your favorite foods, your favorite color, your favorite number!"

She took a deep breath and brought the keychain to her lips.

"I- I want you."

Yuri turned off the lights and closed her eyes.

Despite her anxiety about the day, she actually slept a lot better than the previous night.

_Maybe it's because I'm changing things up, having something more to look forward to; a goal_. _Does this mean something?_

"You seem better today." Mako noticed as she walked with Yuri.

"I got some sleep." Yuri turned to her and grinned. "I think this is going to be a high day."

Mako was practically glowing. "That's great Tamura, I love seeing you like this."

The two girls reached an intersection. Mako was about to head off.

"Tamura," Mako sheepishly asked. "would, would it be ok if I hugged you?"

Yuri nodded. "Sure."

Mako went in and embraced Yuri. Both girls could feel each other's warmth. Yuri hugged her back. She was ok with it as long as people asked first.

When Mako pulled away she smiled and started walking away.

Yuri walked confidentlydown the school hallways with her average resting bitch face. It wasn't that she was mad; she just made that face when she wasn't thinking about it.

_Now's not the time to think about it, I hear Tomoko. _

Yuri actually heard two voices. As she turned the corner, she saw Tomoko and Asuka. Yuri screeched to a stop.

Asuka was holding her sides laughing, apparently, at something Tomoko had said. Meanwhile Tomoko was chuckling and sweating, her face turning as red as a beet.

Yuri has never been jealous of big breasted girls, but knowing Tomoko was probably thinking of Asuka's rack at night, made her mad.

Both Tomoko and Asuka saw Yuri. Asuka's laughter died down as she looked coldly at Yuri with a frown, then turned to Tomoko and smiled

"_Hm_, I hope to see you around later, Kuroki" Asuka brushed Tomoko's hair. Tomoko tensed up. She then moved in and kissed Tomoko on the forehead.

"I-I _heh y-_you too." Tomoko stammered, putting a hand on her head.

"Bye Tamura-san." Asuka walked away, with a spring in her step.

When Tomoko stopped undressing Asuka in her mind, she started walking towards Yuri. Her face shifted from blubbering mess to super serious one.

_I want to punch you so bad right now._

"Ahem," Tomoko cleared her throat, "G-MORNIN YURI BABY!" Tomoko announced leaning back with a smug smile holding peace sign to her face.

Silence.

Tomoko was frozen in place. Neither her nor Yuri moved. Tomoko started to shake from holding her position for so long. That was, until she let her breath out and collapsed.

"I thought _pant pant," _Tomoko put her hands on her knees,_ "_That big tit Yankee said that to me yesterday. I thought it was cute, so I thought, maybe, you would think it was too." Tomoko started blushing

Yuri's expression shifted. "You wanted to see if I thought it you were, cute?"

"Yeah," Tomoko continued. "I tried it with Nemo earlier, but she just got all embarrassed and tried to one up me. But with Asuka, she laughed so, "

_Bam_.

Yuri punched Tomoko's arm and started walking away. _Goddammit._ If Yuri keeps acting this way when Tomoko acts like an idiot, she's not going to get anywhere.

"Argh, hey!" Tomoko grabbed her limp arm. "Wait, are we gonna have lunch today or?"

Yuri stopped dead in her tracks. "Of course." She didn't look back, "You didn't think you were getting out of this, did you?"

"Uh, of course not," Tomoko laughed nervously. "See you at lunch."

Without another word, Yuri started walking away as a small smile started to form on her lips.

"I gotta say," Tomoko said, taking a bite of a tuna sandwich "It's pretty early in the day to start punching me, even for you."

Yuri and Tomoko were sitting on a bench in the school yard about to eat lunch. Yuri listened silently as she opened her boxed lunch.

"You on your period or something?" Tomoko pointed her sandwich at Yuri.

Yuri picked up her chopsticks and started eating rice, her expression unchanged. "Do _you_ want a punch in the face this time?"

Tomoko started violently shaking her head. "No, nope, I prefer the arm punches." She chuckled.

"Good." Yuri continued. "Cause my name's not _you_… right, T-Tomoko?"

Tomoko looked down, blushing, with a shy smile like someone had just handed her a cookie, "Ehrr, right, _heh_ Yuri-chan."

Yuri pleased with herself, continued enjoying her food.

They casually went back and forth, talking about their morning, anything new in their lives, etc. This went on until Yuri set down her chopsticks.

"Tomoko, I'm free today, we can walk home, together," She pushed a strand hair behind her ear. "If you want."

Tomoko put down her sandwich and looked at Yuri.

"Yeah sure, I don't have any other plans." She gave an innocent smile.

Yuri turned away blushing.

"Dammit, that's cute." Yuri muttered covering her mouth.

"Hmm." Tomoko asked not paying attention.

"Nothing."

"Hey."

"What?"

"You see that couple over there?" Tomoko pointed with no discretion.

Lots of people were shuffling past them, but people dating were easy to spot; Holding hands, playing with each other's hair.

"The guy with the brown hair and girl with eyepatch?"

"No." Tomoko moved her face closer to Yuri's. "Those two." Tomoko pointed.

Yuri looked to where she was indicating and saw two girls eating lunch on the grass. One had brown hair and green eyes and the other had silver hair, was a little taller and had big chest. The shorter one was talking, maybe telling a story, while the taller one was listening, drinking a juice box and looking with dead eyes.

"How do you know they're dating?"

"Instinct. I am 50%... sure. Ok, now that you see them. Which one do you think is the bottom?"

_*Somewhere _

"_My grossness senses are going off" the emoji started grinding her teeth._

"_Ucchi are you ok?!"_

"My bets are on the shorter one." Tomoko took a sip of her water.

"Why?"

"The silver haired one has a height advantage. And look at how she's sizing up the short one, observing her, like she's prey. Those are the eyes of a pervert. I bet she can't wait to wreck that small frame when they get home."

Yuri was staring at her, thinking.

"The tall one."

"Heh, Why's that." Tomoko glanced at Yuri with a grin.

"She's observing the green-eyed girl like she's a curiosity or a wonder." Yuri started, "Nothing else seems to matter but whatever the other ones saying. She's looking at her like she wants to learn, to know, everything about her."

The green-eyed girl stopped talking and grabbed the tall one's hand. The silver haired girl started to blush as she was pulled in for a kiss.

"She also looks like she would crumble like a piece of paper when wet." Yuri sipped her drink.

Tomoko looked at her, impressed.

"Yuri-chan, that's an interesting view, maybe you actually are a secret pervert."

Silence

"_Heh" _Yuri broke the silence chuckling. Covering her mouth, she lightly punched Tomoko.

"You're the real pervert for bringing it up."

Tomoko started chuckling

They both laughed together.

The high schoolers were interrupted by the school bell chiming; Indicating it was time to go back to class.

"Ready to go back to class?" Yuri was packing up her bento box.

"Yeah sure… wait." Tomoko reached towards Yuri.

Yuri turned her head. "Huh."

"You got some rice on your cheek." When Tomoko's hand made contact with Yuri's cheek, Yuri instinctually smacked her hand away.

Tomoko pulled back her hand, which was now red, and started rubbing it. Tomoko looked mad and confused.

"Hey I was just getting a piece of food off of you!"

The sky was grey. Clouds started to form overhead. Yuri's mind was racing.

"I err, sorr-," Yuri put her hands in front of her, opening and closing her palms like she was trying to grab the right words. Her face slowly got more and more red. She wanted to cry "I don't- when, when, uh, I. Thanks." Avoiding eye contact, "Let's go." Yuri turned, walking away.

_Idiot! She surprised me._

"What was that?" Tomoko asked herself, looking pensively at her hand. "Does she not like being touched. She, does she have…"

The light drizzle of rain interrupted Tomoko's thoughts. She covered her head and started jogging to get back inside.

_But that face she made. It was kind of… cute._


	3. Rain

"Does Yuri-chan have an umbrella?"

What started off as a gentle drizzle quickly turned into a shower. Yuri and Tomoko stood side by side, looking at the pour. Yuri had an ear bud in her left ear, listening to her "Rain" playlist.

"No. Does Tomoko have one?"

She didn't need to hear the answer.

"I guess we could just… wait til it dies down." Tomoko shrugged her shoulders.

People rushed past them in swarms. Some quickly took their umbrellas while others decided to make a run for it using improvised umbrellas. One girl put her bag over her head and strolled out. In the rain, she stopped and reeled her head back.

"Come on, I'm getting wet out here."

The girl's friend swiftly passed Yuri, "I'm coming, I'm coming." Both high schoolers immediately got soaked as they ran in the rain. With their departure, only Tomoko and Yuri were left.

"I could totally see their bras." Tomoko callously commented.

Yuri shakenly raised her fist behind Tomoko's back, prepared to bring the hammer down.

"Kuroki!"

Both Yuri and Tomoko's heads snapped to the sound of the disturbance. Yuri took out her earbud. In the distant hallway, an emoticon was running towards them at top speed. When it screeched to a stop, she revealed an umbrella in her hands.

"Kuroki, _ha huff_. It looks like you don't, _huff, _don't have an umbrella." Ucchi brandished her umbrella like a sword. "Mine's not that big, but if-if you squeeze in, we could, you know." Ucchi blushed as she rambled.

With one swift motion, the umbrella was in Yuri's hands.

"Wha-huh hey!" Ucchi clenched her empty hand into a fist.

"Huh? Oh, thanks for the umbrella." Yuri balance the umbrella on her shoulder.

"That's mine. You can't!"

Yuri took a step towards Ucchi with an icy stare. "I said _thank you_, the proper response is _your welcome_."

"I." Ucchi considered throwing hands with her classmate, but knew it was a losing battle. "You, Your welcome." She gritted her teeth walking way, racking her mind for an alternative solution.

Yuri grabbed Tomoko's arm and wrapped it around hers. She opened the umbrella as they left Ucchi behind. "You heard her, it's a small umbrella, we have to get close." When she felt Tomoko's soft body pressed against hers, she realized what she was doing and started to low key panic

_I need to calm down. I'm moving too fast._

As for their walking speed, they were moving at a moderately slow pace. Puddles of rain splashed beneath their feet as they made their way. A car every so often would whiz past them, shooting up water. The girls walked in close proximity, occasionally bumping shoulders.

"Are you sure this is ok?"

"Yeah I don't mind being this close." Yuri kept her cool.

"No, I mean this umbrella. Is_ she," _Tomoko pointed her thumb back, "gonna be ok?"

"Oh that." Yuri fiddled with her jacket pocket. "I'm sure she can wait it out, or run home. The rains not that bad." Just then, a crack of thunder echoed, vibrating the two girl's ears. Yuri flinched, grabbing Tomoko; bringing her to her chest.

_Get ahold of yourself._

"_Gah_," Tomoko gasped. She could feel Yuri's racing heartbeat. "Yuri it's too tight. I can't breathe. Your bringing me all the way in."

Yuri loosened her grip, almost pushing Tomoko away. The excitement from the thunder and hugging Tomoko was too much. Her nerves were shot. She needed time to catch her breath.

_I can't do this. I can't I can't. It's too much._

"Hey Yuri-chan, you're getting wet."

"What!"

"Your moving out from the umbrella." Tomoko pointed up

Yuri felt streaks of water rolling down her face.

"Get closer." Tomoko motioned. Yuri silently obeyed. "Your usually more laid back than this. Where's Yuri-chan's head today?"

"Everywhere but here."

"What?"

"Nothing." No, not nothing. "Actually," Yuri fiddled with her hair. "I've been thinking about the future."

This caught Tomoko's attention. "What about it?" she observed Yuri.

_You can do this, tell her._

"About graduation, about what happens after, with us. I don't know if I- if you can handle it." She adverted her gaze. "Wouldn't it be better if you tried for an easier school, one we could _both _get into."

"H-hey don't sell me short like that." Tomoko bumped into Yuri chuckling.

"You know what I mean." Yuri hoped.

"Don't worry about that." Tomoko waved her hand. "I'm sure I'll do fine; we'll _all_ do fine." This didn't alleviate Yuri's worry. "I've been studying a lot with Asuka and the others. Those study sessions have been going especially well." She gave a stupid grin.

Yuri internal temperature started to rise.

_Don't look too much into it._

"You're close to her, Asuka, huh?"

"Yeah, well, kind of, not that close." Tomoko sensed some hostility, but wasn't sure.

"Close enough to be kissing foreheads." Yuri was aggravating the situation.

_Let it go you fucking idiot._

"Well," Tomoko started to sweat. "that was a one-time thing, it caught _me_ by surprise. But she did make me fondle her boobs one time."

"She what!"

Tomoko realized what she was saying. "But- but I didn't." Tomoko frantically waved her hands. "They were too big, I mean I didn't feel comfortable, I would much rather squeeze smaller boobs like yours, er I." Tomoko cut herself off. At this point, both had stopped walking. Yuri kept her head down.

"Yuri-chan?"

Only the patter of rain against the umbrella could be heard.

"I don't want you talking to Asuka anymore."

Tomoko nervously laughed. "Uhh, what?"

"or Ucchi-san."

"W-w hold, wait what are you saying." Tomoko was baffled.

"I don't want you talking to those girls anymore. You'll just study with me." Yuri's breath was shortening.

"Oh," Tomoko huffed. "and I guess I won't be able to talk to Nemo either?" She asked sarcastically.

"No, Nemoto-san is fine." Yuri didn't pick up on it.

"Oh geez, thanks for _allowing_ me to talk to one of my friends."

"No problem." Yuri continued walking.

"_No_, problem." Tomoko stood in front of Yuri, getting in her face. "Who do you think you are telling me who I can or can't talk to?"

Yuri tensed up. Getting light headed, she couldn't think straight. This was bad "D-don't yell at me." She stepped back, covering her left ear.

"Or what?" Tomoko took a step forward. "You'll force me to stop talking to Yuri too? Cause last I checked, you're not my mom and you're certainly not my girlfriend. What's wrong with you?!"

Yuri couldn't gather her thoughts. She wanted to cry. Closing her eyes, she held onto the keychain in her pocket for dear life.

"Don't go groping yourself at a time like this you perv." Tomoko yanked Yuri's hand out of her pocket. The combined force of the pull and Yuri's jolt to sudden contact made her hand violently fly out of her pocket. Her cow key chain was launched into the air.

"No!"

"Huh."

It all happened too fast for any of them to react. The key chain fell to the curb with a clack then bounced onto the street where it was quickly carried by the rain into a storm drain. Yuri stared, shaking with pain. The umbrella dropped to the sidewalk with a clatter. She grabbed Tomoko by her wrists and pinned her to a nearby wall.

Tomoko's eyes were pulsating.

_Oh shit, am I gonna get r*ped? _

"You want to know what's wrong with me? Why I always look pissed off? Why I can't look people in the eyes when I talk to them? Why I flinch when somebody touches me? Why I need to stim every five fucking minutes?" Yuri looked down. "It's not something I can easily control. My impulses, my fears, shaping my actions, making me feel this way." Yuri's grip tightened. "But I am what I am. I was born with this… mistake, this disorder." Yuri lifted her head. "And it makes me want to, monopolize you; someone like me. Someone who could… understand."

As the rain pounded down, Yuri's vision blurred. Breathing heavy breathes, she moved her lips closer to Tomoko's. But when she looked into Tomoko's eyes, she saw, fear. Realizing what she was doing, she let go of Tomoko and moved back. She looked at her hands, disgusted at what she had attempted to do.

"Yuri-chan?" Tomoko moved forward

"I,eh."

It was hard to see, but Yuri's face turned crimson red. Not thinking, she covered her face with her jacket sleeves; it didn't do much.

"Yuri-chan, I," Tomoko moved Yuri's sleeves. Revealing Yuri's face, she saw Yuri was crying. Yuri yanked her sleeves away and started running.

"Yuri, wait!" Tomoko called as she ran after her. Tomoko wasn't fit, athletic and was straight up unhealthy, but she could as least run. Yuri on the other hand could not run, but the rain provided decent cover.

_She'll never forgive you._

The rain started coming down harder and harder. Yuri, squinting her eyes, could barely see two feet in front of herself. She couldn't see where the sidewalk ended and the road started. One misstep and she was suddenly falling, tumbling to the ground.

_Ghaa dammit my knee!_

Yuri saw her right knee was bright red with blood. Before she could recover, she heard skidding tires. Looking behind, she saw a pair of headlights coming her away. She froze. It was over for her. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands grapple her. The force sent her barreling out of danger. The car drove past her, blasting its horn.

Despite being safe, she felt like she banged up her body more than the initial fall. Something was pushing against her. She looked down and saw an unpopular girl wrapped around her waist, pressing her head against her chest.

"T-Tomoko?" Yuri stammered, shaking. Tomoko had saved her. Yuri wanted to wrap her arms around her and thank her. But before she could, she was pushed back then felt a sharp pain in her arm. Tomoko had punched her.

"Idiot!" Tomoko yelled. She looked like she was about to cry. "Stupid, idiot, dumbass." Tomoko repeatedly punched Yuri's arm. "What were you thinking, running into the road like a moron, you could've been killed you stupid bitch!"

Yuri caught Tomoko's hands. Tomoko was panting, puffing warm breath clouds in Yuri's face. Tomoko's emotions finally overwhelmed her as tears started to flow from her eyes; she started sobbing. Yuri brought her into an embrace, caressing Tomoko's hair. Tomoko sniffled into Yuri's chest.

"I know what you're feeling." Tomoko hoarsely whispered. "I understand, I know what's inside your head. I have it too. There's nothing wrong with you. You're not a mistake." Tomoko lifted her head. "You don't have to deal with this alone."

Yuri didn't know what to say. She may have started crying, she couldn't tell or care. She held Tomoko tighter, taking in all she could, letting the weightlessness of the moment consume her. For a moment, everything felt right.

A crack of thunder brought the pair back into reality. Both had become more and more aware of how soaked they were from running and sitting in the rain.

"Uh," Tomoko wiped her nose. "I know I got dramatic and all, but we should probably get inside."

"Yeah, I guess so." Yuri brushed Tomoko's hair to the side.

Tomoko got up giving Yuri a hand. Yuri cringed as she stood up.

"My house shouldn't be too" Tomoko looked past Yuri, surprised. "far."

Yuri turned to see what Tomoko was looking at. It was Tomoko's house.

*Somewhere

"Tomokooo! Where are youuu?" Ucchi was prowling the streets carrying an oversized patio umbrella.


	4. Bedroom

Yuri stared intently at the stuffed animal sitting across from her. Well, it wasn't really an animal, more like a blocky purple humanoid. She couldn't quite place the expression on its face, but she felt like it was an emotion she had felt before, at least once.

Rain could be heard tapping the bedroom window. Yuri, bored of staring at the toy, decided to look under Tomoko's bed. She had no shame about these kinds of things, but if someone did it to her stuff, _then_ there would be a problem.

Cluttered around the dust and junk, Yuri found some spare blankets, clothes, a missing sock and books or manga.

She pulled out two tattered paperbacks. One manga had two half-dressed blonde dudes embracing each other while the other had two high school girls holding hands with their backs pressed against each other.

_Huh, just like that dream. _

Further back, somewhat hidden behind the clutter, Yuri spotted a familiar shape. She reached back as far she could, smudging her face against the floor. Her hand found its mark. Bringing it to ger face, she inspected the object closely, turning it over in her hands.

_A fidget cube?_

Yuri's phone vibrated, interrupting her invasion of Tomoko's privacy. She quickly tossed the books and cube back under the bed. Tomoko probably wouldn't notice Yuri went to Tomoko's desk where her phone rested. Surprisingly, it still worked after getting soaked in the rain.

Yuri saw the caller id.

"Mako?"

"Yuri." Mako's voice crackled. "Did you walk home with Kuroki already? Was the rain any trouble?"

"No, it wasn't too bad," Yuri sat at the edge of Tomoko's bed. "but I almost got hit by a car."

"What, Yuri!? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, I'm just waiting in Tomoko's room naked."

"Oh, that's good. I was just- wait naked at Kuroki's house?" Mako had a lot of questions today.

"We got soaked in the rain, so she took my clothes to dry. I just have my bra and panties on."

"Ah, ok." Yuri couldn't see over the phone, but Mako brow started sweating. "Are you gonna stay over at her place for the night?"

"I guess." Yuri readjusted herself. "Why did you call?" Yuri said as frank as ever.

"Oh, um I just had this instinct, er feeling that something was different about you or something happened." Mako couldn't really explain her Tamura sense.

"_Mako, who are you talking too?"_

Yuri heard someone in the background.

"_It's just Yuri."_ Yuri heard Mako in a faint tone.

_That was probably Yoshida_

"Sorry Yuri, that was Yoshida."

"Where are you both?"

"Well." Mako started blushing. "When it started raining, Yoshida said we should wait it out in the nurse's office. I, um misunderstood what she was saying so we were sitting on the bed and I started undressing and she started getting embarrassed then I got embarrassed but her face was too cute so I started undressing her and I- "

"You should probably go back to her." Yuri interrupted, not trying to rude but thought Mako would prefer that over talking to her.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Um Yuri, tomorrow, if you're comfortable, could you tell me how it goes with Kuroki?"

"Sure."

"Thanks. Have good day, bye." Mako waved even though Yuri couldn't see.

"Have a good day, bye." Yuri hung up the phone then immediately facepalmed.

_Self-centered prick. I didn't need to tell her about almost getting hit._

Through her fingers, she saw a pair of eyes peeking at her from the door's gap. Yuri lowered her hand, crossing her arms. She was suddenly self-conscious about being half naked in someone else's home.

The bedroom door opened. Tomoko stood in the doorway wearing a tank top and shorts. She was holding two off color towels and a set of clothes.

"Hey, uh, I wasn't peeping or anything. I, you were just on the phone and I was just waiting for your call to end and," Tomoko was trying to focus on Yuri's eyes but they instinctually fell to her chest. "Here." Tomoko, looking away, handed Yuri the clothes and a red towel. Tomoko kept the blue towel for herself.

Yuri wasn't too sure how to act. She had just confessed her love to (and attacked) the girl she liked and was now dripping wet in said girl's room. If she thought about it too much she would probably panic and lash out. Best to just keep a straight face, play it cool and breath.

_1…2…3_

"Thank you."

Yuri took the towel and clothes. She started drying her face, trying to think of her next move. But the scent, it smelled like Tomoko. Yuri didn't want to be the weirdo who smelled things like that but, regardless, she took longer drying her face than needed.

"Yeah, sorry. That towel was just washed but it's my brother's so it might still have his dick germs on it or something, if that bothers you."

Yuri stopped drying her face.

_I want to die._

"It's fine."

Yuri continued padding herself with the towel. As she looked down at her body, she slowly got more and more self-conscious about her appearance. If she knew she would be in this position, she would've taken more time in the morning to clean herself up or at least put on nice lingerie. Not that a pervert like Tomoko would mind.

Tomoko sat across from Yuri, shuffling her hands nervously. She was adverting her gaze, occasionally stealing obvious glances.

Learning one of her closest friends had romantic feeling for her wasn't an easy thing to think about. Tomoko knew Mako and Yoshida were lesbos but… Yuri?

_Maybe hanging out with Mako woke something in her. _Tomoko thought

As far as Tomoko knew, she herself wasn't a gay, or at least 50% sure. If this went wrong, it could ruin things between everyone. It would be best to just play it cool.

"I never really noticed but you have a nice figure." Tomoko said as if it was the most casual sentence ever uttered.

"Thanks." Yuri held her blank expression, but her skin was flushed as she finished drying herself. "You look nice too."

"Uh-_cough_-thanks." Tomoko didn't expect that response.

Yuri set down the towel and picked up the shirt she was given.

_Tomoko's clothes._

Yuri wondered if Tomoko would let her keep them after today. She probably wasn't in the position to be asking.

"Sorry for the size fit, it's a bit of an older shirt and you're a bit taller than me, and have a bigger chest." Tomoko muttered the last part.

Despite this, the green SPARK t-shirt fit like a glove. A little small but not too tight. Yuri then slipped on the pair of red sweat shorts to complete the look. They felt fresh out of the dryer.

_Tch_

Tomoko envied how Yuri could look better than her in her _own_ clothes. While she was looking Yuri up and down, she noticed Yuri's scrapped knee.

"Your knee."

"Its fine, it healing already." Yuri lied.

Tomoko wasn't listening. She already moved to a drawer at the other side of the room. She shuffled items back and forth until she found what she was looking for. Tomoko took out and held up a small box of bandages and antiseptic spray.

_That's convenient. _Yuri thought.

Tomoko briskly walked towards Yuri but, as she approached, she slammed her toe into the foot of the bed. Tomoko fell face first to the floor, causing the bandages and spray to fly out of her hands.

"Ahh goddammit, fucking Christ! _Hmmmhm_!" Tomoko held her foot as she screamed into the floor.

You're usually just supposed to wait these things out, but Yuri wanted to do, _something_. So, she got up only to sit next to Tomoko, just to be by her. Rubbing her back would be a bit much, so Yuri kept her hands to herself.

Tomoko made a gargling noise, cringing until the pain numbed. Tomoko looked up to see Yuri's, unintentional, stony gaze.

"Eh, sorry for that." Tomoko sat up, embarrassed. "You probably hadn't realized I was klutz til now huh?" she joked.

"No, I knew." Yuri didn't pick up on it.

"Uh, yeah." Tomoko crawled across the floor to collect the bandages and spray. She placed herself across from Yuri, crossing her legs.

"Um." Tomoko motioned to Yuri's knee. With a nod, Yuri sat back extending her leg to Tomoko. Tomoko balanced Yuri's bare leg on her lap.

_This feels kind of lewd. _Tomoko thought as she picked up the spray.

She applied some of the spray to Yuri's red spot. Yuri hissed as the antiseptic seeped into her skin. It didn't burn that much, but she still didn't like the burning sensation.

"So, how long have you been, uh known you were on the… the spectrum." Tomoko tried to distract Yuri. Though it could've been a dice roll, making Yuri even more uncomfortable.

Yuri stayed silent

"You don't have to answer if,"

"You knew?" Yuri kept a steady tone.

"Suspected, just little things here and there." Tomoko reached for the towel. "Also, you gave that little infodump when you tried to force yourself on me."

Yuri retracted her leg, bringing both legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"Sorry." Yuri buried her head in her knees.

"Hey no it's fine." Tomoko crawled towards Yuri. "I'm not mad." Tomoko grabbed Yuri's hand. Yuri resisted the urge to pull back.

Tomoko moved Yuri's hand from her knee.

"I was diagnosed when I was three." Yuri said. She lifted her head to look at Tomoko.

Tomoko was confused for a second until she realized.

"Me? Oh," Tomoko turned her blushing face. "I thought maybe I did, in middle school. So, I took one of those online tests."

"And?"

"and it said _Probably_" Tomoko air quoted. "But you know how those online tests are." She shrugged "Some days I'm certain I have it while others, I'm not sure."

Yuri nodded. She continued talking about her past, her struggles with anxiety and interacting with others.

Tomoko thought it was best not to say anything while Yuri talked. While she was cleaning the wound with the towel, she nodded from time to time to show that she was still paying attention.

Some parts of Yuri's story reminded her of herself.

"Mako found out about me in middle school. She was friendly with me, so like a leech, I've clung to her since."

When Yuri's story sounded like it was about to finish, Tomoko finally applied the bandage.

"That should do it." Tomoko motioned to Yuri's now bandaged knee.

_It feels like wound care scene out of a shounen manga except way more lame. _Tomoko thought.

"Thank you."

Yuri ran her hand through her hair while Tomoko's eyes were memorizing every detail of her already familiar room. Both stayed silent knowing, in a matter of time, they would need to address the elephant in the room; Yuri's love confession in the rain.

"Tomoko."

"Yuri."

Both started but stopped. Yuri was going to just wing it so she motioned for Tomoko to continue. Unbeknownst to her, Tomoko was also in the midst of winging it.

"Yuri. About what you told me, how you feel. I was kind of… surprised." Tomoko said. "You're a good-looking girl, though you always look mad or bored but some guys are into that stuff. You could probably snag any guy you wanted." Tomoko crossed her arms. "So, I guess what I'm saying is, I'm just a bit confused, why you picked me. I mean," She chuckled lowering her head. "I'm not smart or athletic, or sociable or creative or…"

Tomoko's chuckling started to crack. Yuri tilted her head to look at Tomoko's face. She lifted Tomoko's chin to see Tomoko's wet eyes.

"I'm not anything." Tomoko wiped her face. "I'm just an idiot."

Tomoko crashed her head against Yuri's chest. Yuri wrapped her arms around Tomoko, gently rubbing her back.

Tomoko's tears and snot were quickly seeping through Yuri's, or Tomoko's, clothes. Yuri scanned the room for something when she saw a box to tissues. She took a few swipes.

"Here." Yuri cooed as she held the tissues to Tomoko's face. "Don't cry." She tried her best Mako impression; It didn't hold.

Tomoko took the tissues and loudly blew her nose. Yuri felt pretentious for caring, but it looked gross.

"Sorry," Tomoko was stifling the last of her tears.

"You're not nothing." Yuri voice shook. "You have so many people who care for you, who love you. Every time I'm with you, you make me feel warm and… happy inside." Yuri wasn't the best at expressing her feelings. "Your kind, your interesting, your funny." Yuri took a breath. "Your more than an idiot." Yuri lifted Tomoko's face to face hers. "You said I could have anyone I wanted. I want you. I like you, Tomoko."

Tomoko's eyes widened like a baby kitten's. The wires in her mind connected, something clicked. Maybe she was feeling something. Maybe she's felt it all along but never acknowledged it. Maybe she felt the same.

"I… I think I, like you too." Tomoko lips twitched, curving into an awkward smile. That face, that face never failed to make Yuri smile, even if she tried to hide it. Feeling such euphoria, she let out a small giggle. She didn't care that Tomoko saw her this way. She wanted Tomoko to see her smile.

"Your laughing at a time like this." Tomoko said, catching Yuri's infectious laugh.

They both touched foreheads, laughing, enjoying a moment of levity. Eventually, their laughter died down. Tomoko looked into Yuri's eyes but quickly looked away.

Tomoko bit her lip.

"I, I've never kissed a girl before."

_Or anyone for that matter._

"Don't worry."

Yuri caressed Tomoko's cheek, moving her hand to the back of Tomoko's head. Tomoko closed her eyes and tilted her head. Yuri imitated, closing her eyes, tilting her head. Both glided towards the other until the moment was rudely interrupted by the pain of clunking into each other's skulls. Tomoko and Yuri pulled back, holding their hands on their foreheads.

"I've never kissed anyone either." Yuri confided as she blushed.

"Let's try it one more time." Tomoko wrapped her arms around Yuri.

Yuri closed her eyes, tilting her head again. Tomoko closed one eye but kept the other open to make sure she could see the positioning. Tomoko tilted her head the other way. Slowly, they moved forward until their lips connected.

Tomoko's lips felt rougher than Yuri had imagined. Tomoko didn't know what she had imagined; she just knew it felt amazing. They both pulled back to look into each other's eyes. Without saying a word, they each knew what the other wanted.

Tomoko and Yuri's first kiss quickly turned into their second and third and fourth. Holding each kiss as long as possible, only pulling back to get short breaths of air. Getting overexcited, Tomoko slipped her tongue into Yuri's mouth. Yuri didn't protest. Instead she lifted Tomoko, who was as light as flower, and pushed her onto the bed.

Yuri slid a hand under Tomoko's tank top. Tomoko's eyes widened. She started squirming.

"Whoa whoa." Tomoko pulled back.

Yuri quickly pulled her hand back, holding it to her chest. Did she go too far?

"I-I-I ah, sorry I thought, we." Yuri stammered shaking her head.

_I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have, fucking pervert._

"No, no." Tomoko, shaking, put her hands on Yuri's shoulders. "Sorry, it just surprised me, how it felt. I mean, I've groped people like that before, but I've never felt what it actually _felt_ like."

"So, how did it feel?" Yuri hands clasped the front of her shirt for comfort.

"It felt intense, hot. I like it, but for the time being, could we, you know, take it slow?"

A playful grin grew on Yuri's face.

"Sure." Yuri climbed on top of Tomoko. "Nice and slow."


	5. Restroom

"Have you been using a new shampoo, senpai? It looks so shiny."

"Eh, yeah, I started using new conditioner about,"

"What brand is it? What store? What aisle did you get it?"

"Um, it's just from a corner store not too far from here. Hey, sorry about your umbrel-"

"It's a shame you don't cosplay. Your hair would be so fun to style."

"I don't think that,"

"Oh, it's so smooth and soft. I could just bury my head in your hair."

"_F-fwuh. _T-thank you, Asuka."

Tomoko was surrounded on all four sides. Shizuku, Ucchi, Nemo, and Asuka had perfectly trapped Tomoko at her desk. Sweat dripped from Tomoko's cheek as her hands twitched, trying to get a grip.

Sitting three desk lengths away Yuri had one earbud in, listening to music. The other ear was listening to the group. She twisted the free earbud's cord, wrapping and unwrapping it around her finger. She wasn't worried, or at least acted that way.

It had been one week since Yuri and Tomoko had started dating. Of course, Yuri couldn't ban Tomoko from seeing the other girls. It wouldn't be right, at least according to Tomoko.

"Tomoko is a pervert; she can't control herself." Yuri was absent-mindedly stacking coffee creamer cups in a little bowl.

Tomoko took a sip of her milkshake. "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence." She offered some to Yuri.

It was the morning after Yuri had slept over at Tomoko's house. The morning after their first kiss. They decided to go to a "retro" dinner to talk about how to proceed with _things_.

The waitress came with Yuri's coffee. Yuri took the cup, blew some of the steam, then took a sip. It was bitter, but Yuri refused to destroy her mini creation, so she took another sip

"Maybe if Tomoko can control herself around her friends, then she can see them," Yuri said, looking into her cup.

"You know," Tomoko wiped her mouth with a napkin. "You even trying to limit my contact with friends is like, a form of domestic abuse or something."

"Is that a yes?" Yuri asked.

Tomoko groaned. "Yes, fine, but I want to add something."

Yuri sipped more of her coffee. It didn't taste any better than the last sip.

"I don't want anyone knowing about… _us." _Tomoko whispered._ "_At least for the time being."

Yuri paused before answering. "Why?"

Tomoko's eyes shifted.

"Just, you know, till we work out the details, n' stuff." Tomoko was making circular motions with her hands. Yuri's face was a statue, it wasn't easy to read, but Tomoko had some idea of what she was thinking.

Tomoko extended her leg, trying to touch Yuri's, but she was too short. Tomoko started sliding down her seat to reach, making contact with Yuri. "You know I'm a pervert, but something tells me Yuri-Chan is just as much." Tomoko was playing with Yuri's leg. "We could still fool around in private."

As much as Yuri wanted to refuse it, she couldn't. She didn't plan or even want to parade with Tomoko in the hallways of the school or make out in public, but she didn't want to have to hide her feelings: her love, not anymore.

"And who wanted the short stack?" The cheerful waitress appeared at the side of the booth.

Tomoko shot back up in her seat, banging her knee. She masked her pain with a smile she gave to the waitress. She then looked at Yuri with the same faux smile.

"Me." Yuri raised her hand.

"You owe me an umbrella," Ucchi said, leaning over Tomoko's desk.

"Ah, yeah, that." Tomoko scratched her chin. "She kind of drop, it flew out of my hand in the wind."

"I guess that's ok," Ucchi got closer to Tomoko's face. "If you repay another way."

Tomoko leaned back in her chair, causing her head to rest of Asuka's breasts. "My your awfully assertive today." Asuka teased. She started petting Tomoko's head.

"No-w-I didn't mean,"

Yuri turned her attention back to the music and closed her eyes. It didn't matter. An essential part of being in a relationship was trust. And besides, Tomoko still belonged to Yuri. Even if no one else knew.

_Don't think about it. Don't think about it._

"Don't think about it."

"Don't think about what?"

Yuri opened her eyes to see Nemo crouched, resting her chin on her desk. At some point, she had pulled away from the libidinous trap that was Tomoko's desk.

"You said, don't think about it," Nemo said. "What?"

"I wasn't talking to you."

"So, you were just talking out loud to yourself?

Yuri wasn't in the mood for this. Nonetheless, Nemo pulled up a chair and sat in a reverse position. Laughter was heard. Yuri looked to see Shizuku holding Tomoko's arm, taking a selfie with her.

"So, have you made any progress with her?" Nemo asked.

"…"

"Cause it looks like those girls are making bigger strides towards,"

"We kissed." Yuri calmly blurted.

"Tamura," Nemo said, surprised, giving an overdramatic gasp. "Nice. Wait," Nemo leaned closer, causing her chair to scratch the floor. She started whispering, "did you guys mean to, or was she like groping your boobs or something and you fell into a kiss."

"We meant to kiss."

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. _

Yuri was breaking her promise. She started squirming in her seat. But it wasn't like Nemo didn't already know she liked Tomoko. As long as she didn't say she and Tomoko were dating, she will have still kept her promise.

_Yeah, that makes sense._

"We even did a bit more." Yuri was blushing.

"Wow, Tamura. You really," Nemo pointed a finger gun at Yuri. "Go for the jugular when you have your sights set. Maybe Tomoko was right about you being a closeted pervert. So, did you guys do a bunch of freaky stuff?"

"We didn't have sex." Yuri's voice was unusually high. She looked around, embarrassed then brought her tone down. "We just kissed and cuddled and stuff."

"Yuri-Chan?" Yuri turned to the sound of the voice. Tomoko stood, fidgeting, next to Yuri's desk. "Do you... need to take a shit?" Tomoko asked.

"What?" Despite the confusion, Yuri kept a straight face.

"In the bathroom," Tomoko pointed at the door. Yuri dumbfounded stared at Tomoko. This obviously wasn't a face value situation, but whatever it _was_, eluded Yuri.

Yuri and Tomoko stared at each other in silence until Nemo leaned over the desk. "She wants you to go with her." She whispered into Yuri's ear.

Yuri sighed.

_Just fucking say what you mean._

"Let's go." Yuri stood up and walked past Tomoko without looking at her.

"Hey, wait up." Tomoko made a small sprint to catch up. The girl's surrounding Tomoko's desk interests suddenly turned to their phones; All except for Asuka.

In the hallway, Tomoko walked a few steps behind Yuri. They could've walked side by side. People knew they were at least friends. But it didn't seem to matter to Tomoko.

"Yuri." Yuri's tunnel vision prevented her from seeing Mako, but not hearing her. She halted, causing Tomoko to bump into her back. "And hello, Kuroki," Mako said with a smile. Yuri noticed that Yoshida was also there. She saw her and Mako's hands were linked, their fingers were laced together.

_Must be nice._

Tomoko, regaining her senses, looked at Mako then Yoshida then at their intertwined hands. "Yoshida? Mako?" Tomoko rubbed her head. "I mean, I knew you were both lesbos, but I didn't think you eating each other's c-waghh."

Yoshida came at and lifted Tomoko by her collar. "Shut yer trap you little pervert!" She was barring her teeth, shaking Tomoko like a doll.

Yuri was in no hurry to intervene. She bumped Mako, who had her hand on her mouth, looking at the malice. "So, how are things going?"

"Uh," Mako lowered her hand. "Yeah. Things are going well. I think I'm making progress with her anger management." Yoshida was still shaking Tomoko's, now limp, body.

"Really?" Yuri raised an eyebrow.

A playful grin grew on Mako's face. "Watch this." Mako snuck up behind Yoshida then went on her tippy toes. Gently, she blew into Yoshida's left ear.

"_Uwahh_." Yoshida's pitch went up three octaves that day. She dropped Tomoko, who fell on her ass with a thud. Yoshida crouched to the floor, holding her ear. Her face was fully flushed. "Why, Mako?" Yoshida looked like she was about to cry.

Mako crouched and wrapped her arm around Yoshida's back. She lifted Yoshida up. "Come on," Mako said, bumping Yoshida's chin with her head. She turned to Tomoko and Yuri. "I hope you both have a fun tim- er good day." Mako blushed as she led a weakened Yoshida away.

Yuri looked at her girlfriend, who was still on the ground and extended a hand. Tomoko hesitated but then accepted it.

"Gee, thanks for the late help."

"You're welcome."

"That was sarcasm."

"I know."

Yuri pulled Tomoko up. Tomoko started brushing off her skirt, while Yuri sheepishly watched. She had her hands in her pockets, fiddling with a rubber band. Not sensing she could do much, Yuri started walking away. Tomoko had to, yet again, make a small sprint to catch up.

"Almost forgot," Tomoko kept pace. "Asuka and some of the others are going to meet to study after school. It would be nice if Yuri-Chan would join us."

Yuri considered it for a second. "I'm fine studying on my own," Yuri replied, not looking at Tomoko.

"Weren't you the one who said you weren't confident you were gonna get into Aoyama?"

"No, I said I was afraid _Tomoko _wouldn't get in."

"I know what you really meant," Tomoko murmured as they continued walking.

When they reached the restrooms, Yuri moved to the sink and leaned back crossing her arms. Tomoko quickly ducked down and walked across each stall, peeking under. They were empty.

"What are you peeping for." Yuri was cut off by Tomoko, smacking a kiss on her lips. Yuri was surprised, but she let it happened. They traded blows back and forth, Tomoko was tightly embracing Yuri, but something didn't feel right. Yuri pushed Tomoko back.

"What was that for?" Yuri asked, looking embarrassed.

"Well, you know," Tomoko looked down, twiddling her thumbs. "I er, felt like, you know,"

Tomoko's rambling was cut short when she heard the sound of incoming footsteps. Tomoko, without thinking, grabbed Yuri by her arm and yoinked her into the nearest stall. Yuri was thrown onto the toilet. Tomoko slammed the door and locked it. She stood next to the door, listening.

"_So that's when I said 'Of course I would watch the show,' but it just doesn't seem like my jam_."

"_I know exactly what you mean_."

It sounded like the two girls were washing their hands. Tomoko had her ear to the door, waiting for them to leave.

"What was it that you wanted to,"

"Shh," Tomoko whispered.

The two girls at the sinks didn't seem to notice.

"Why don't you want other people to know about us." Yuri didn't keep her voice down. It wasn't the best place to do this, but Yuri didn't care.

"Shh, Yuri, it- it's just kind of early to,"

"Are you embarrassed of me?" Yuri stood: taller than Tomoko.

"No, no," Tomoko said, waving her hands. "I just,"

"_Hey, do you hear someone." _One of the girls stopped washing her hands.

Tomoko closed her eyes, doing the only thing she could think of, and threw herself at Yuri. She locked her lips to Yuri's and threw away the key. She pushed Yuri onto the toilet, forcing her to sit. Yuri struggled against her desire to free herself and the desire for more. Passion quickly turned into fury. Yuri closed her eyes and did the only thing she could think of.

"_Yeoww_." Tomoko reeled back in pain, hitting her back against the stall door. She stomped her foot repeatably, holding her lip. She took her hand from her mouth to see she was bleeding.

"Don't you ever fucking do that again!" Yuri wiped the blood from her lip with her thumb. Yuri pushed past Tomoko, opened the stall door, and stormed out.

The two sink girls peeked into the open stall to see an unpopular girl slouched on the toilet, holding her bleeding lip, with tears in her eyes.


	6. Dream

"E-E-excuse," _nudge _"Excuse me." Someone was pushing on Yuri's chest. Yuri woke up in her seat to see a short girl with messy hair and bags under her eyes, looking at her. She looked around and remembered she was on a train.

"Your Tamura, right?" Yuri nodded in response. "I'm, uh, supposed to be the leader of our group." The girl pointed to herself

"Ok."

"W-We're all getting off here, so uh," She pointed to the doors. "Yeah."

Silently, Yuri got up and followed the girl to the train's doors. She could see two blonde girls, who must've been the other members of their group, waiting at the exit. The girl turned to Yuri. "Oh, by the way, I'm Kuroki, Tomoko Kuroki."

When Yuri walked through the doors, she entered a café. She checked the time on her phone then scanned the room until she found her.

"Yuri," Mako waved. "Glad you could make it." Yuri took a seat in the booth opposite her. "Did you find the place alright?" Yuri nodded. She was avoiding eye contact. Mako rested her hands on her thighs. "I see your still not too happy about that." She lowered her eyes. "Again, sorry I couldn't be in your group, I forgot I had made a promise to Minami."

"It's fine." Yuri kept her trademark resting bitch face.

A waitress came and took their orders. Mako ordered black coffee while Yuri ordered water. When the waitress left, the two were left with silence. Yuri's eyes wondered as she tapped her foot in beats of three. She clenched and unclenched her hands.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Mako was surprised by the sudden apology. Not because Yuri never apologized, but because Yuri had different ways of saying sorry, and most didn't involve words.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Mako waved her hand. She looked at Yuri's face, quizzically. "Did something happen on the field trip?"

"Not much." Yuri brushed it off. She felt a thumping sensation on her forehead.

"And here's your coffee, and here's your water." The waitress placed the cups in front of Mako and Yuri. Mako blew into her cup then took a small sip. Yuri looked into the water to see her distorted reflection.

Yuri's blank expression stared back at her in the bathroom mirror. She was wearing her school uniform. Music from her favorite band was playing from the speakers of her phone. She had been staring at the mirror for a good two minutes now.

"Hello... Yes... Yeah, I am good." She furrowed her brow. "Yes, I'm good... H-How are you." Getting frustrated, she started messaging her face; Nothing changed. She pushed the ends of her lips up with her fingers. When she removed her fingers, her face naturally readjusted to the plain neutral expression that she has always known. Defeated and galled, Yuri closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, two girls with attentive smiles were standing in front of her. Yuri looked down at the flyer they gave her. "_T-Th,_" Yuri mumbled.

"Sorry, what?" The girl leaned closer.

"_T-Than_," Yuri's tongue felt heavy in her mouth. The two classmates were starting to get visibly uncomfortable.

"You don't need to respond now; The information's on the flyer." The girl held the remaining flyers to her chest. "We hope to see you at our first club meeting." The two member's smiles quivered. They turned and started walking away. The two girls started whispering to each other; Yuri couldn't hear them.

"Thanks." She finally let the words out with a sigh, but it was too late; they were gone. She looked at the flyer before crumbling it up and tossing it in the trash.

_Whatever_

She made her way to her desk, took out her earbuds, and pressed play on her music. She let the music carry her troubles away.

"_-uri, -uri,_" Hearing mumbling, Yuri looked behind her. It was Kuroki. Yuri took out her earbuds and paused her music.

"What?"

"Oh, I-I wanted to show you something." Tomoko was sweating, clenching her fists to her sides. Puzzled, Yuri tilted her head.

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise, but I think you'll like it."

Not having anything better to do, Yuri stood up, pushed in her chair, and put her hands in her pockets. Taking this as a sign of 'ok,' Tomoko started leading the way.

Their journey led them outside the main building, where they circled the perimeter until they reached a gap between an adjacent building. "Just through here." Tomoko pointed as she went into the alley.

_Is she going to do something perverted?_

Still, Yuri followed. Looking at the surrounding area, she could see it was perfectly isolated. When she turned her attention back to Tomoko, she was gone. Tomoko was not more than five feet away, and yet, she was gone. Confused, Yuri looked back at the entrance.

"BOO, gotcha!" Someone jumped out from around a corner. Yuri didn't scream. Instead, her knee jerk reaction was to wind up her arm and punch the intruder in the chest. Tomoko had the wind knocked out of her. She fell back, hitting the wall. "God, _argh_, that hurt." Tomoko clutched her chest.

"What was that for?!" Yuri tried to hide her jangled nerves.

"I could ask the same thing," Tomoko coughed, trying to suppress the pain.

After a set of deep breaths from both parties, Tomoko explained why they were there.

"I see you listening to your music during break. You look like your bothered by noise, or people, so I thought I would share a little gem of mine." Tomoko indicated to the gap that led to a quaint little sitting spot. "For when you just want to be alone." Tomoko nervously rubbed the back her head.

Yuri didn't smile or move. She just starred at Tomoko. Tomoko started sweating again. She didn't notice that Yuri's cheeks were being colored a rosy red. Yuri, looking away, pinched Tomoko's sleeve

"T-th."

"Huh." Yoshida took a bite of her candy bar.

"Nothing."

Yoshida and Yuri were sitting at the arcade, playing a crane game. Yoshida had spent a lot of time, and money, trying to get a certain cat plushie. Just when it looked like the crane was about to grab the object of desire, it flipped.

"Dammit all!" Yoshida hit the glass. Yuri didn't pay much mind to this.

"Yoshida."

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of me?"

Yoshida stopped focusing on the claw to look at Yuri. She focused on her for a second, then turned her attention back to the machine. "You're cool." Yoshida tapped the grab button.

"You don't think I'm too mean or… weird?"

Yoshida took her hands off the joystick. "Did somebody tell you that?" Yoshida held up a balled fist. "'Cause if they did, I'll knock their teeth in."

"No." Yuri kept her eyes on the machine. "Just asking."

Yuri sat down on her bed, placing her hands on her lap. She was looking at Tomoko sitting on the floor with her earbuds. This was the first time Tomoko had been in Yuri's room since they started dating. As a romantic idea, Yuri thought it was a good idea to push… to introduce her music to Tomoko.

Having memorized the song, Yuri started humming the part she thought Tomoko was listening to. The whole-time listening, Tomoko had a confused look on her face, like she was looking at an invisible object.

When the song ended, Tomoko took out the earbuds. "So?" Yuri tried not to show it, but her excitement shined through like the sun.

"It was a bit weird." Tomoko chuckled.

"Oh," All the joy left Yuri's soul.

"Yeah," Tomoko examined the earbuds. "I never really heard this type of music before; It's interesting. Do you have anything else like it? Yuri?" Tomoko looked up. "Whoa, Yuri's glowing."

Yuri plopped on the floor next to Tomoko. "I have the perfect list for this." Yuri could hardly contain herself. After a few taps on her phone, Yuri was about ready to push play, but before she could, she was handed the right-side earbud.

"Let's listen together."

Yuri was biological hazardous with the amount of heat she was radiating. She slipped the earbud in and pushed play on her phone. The two sat, side by side, letting the gentle tune of the music lull their minds into a state of ease. Tomoko nestled her head on Yuri's shoulder and closed her eyes. Yuri closed her eyes. Feeling her warmth, her presence, her love, feeling Tomoko, Yuri couldn't remember a time in her life that she had been happier.

…

Yuri woke up, crooked and sore. Her head was hanging off the bed, along with the rest of her upper body. She lifted her head and pushed herself up. She felt light-headed. Dried tears and crust clouded her vision. She rubbed her eyes. Although her face was dry, her left hand was still wet.

_Going to be angry: bad idea. Going to bed angry after masturbating: very bad idea._

"Attacking Tomoko," She muttered. "moron." Yuri facepalmed. Sliding her hand down her face, she looked at her window only to remember she had hung up a bedsheet to block out the light. She turned her attention to the clock; It was 12:21 P.M.

Yuri removed her sheets and went to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, stripped her clothes, and when the water was just right, she got in. The hot water warmed her body as she applied soap, trying to get rid herself of the smell she had slept in.

"So sophisticated. You're so mature." She said to herself. "You couldn't wait one minute; you couldn't be quiet for _one_ fucking minute?" Yuri cringed. "Impatient prick."

When she finished her self-loathing, she grabbed the towel hanging on the nearby ring and dried herself. She went to her drawer and fished out a pair of sweats and a random shirt. Of course, the "random" shirt was Tomoko's, now Yuri's, SPARK shirt. She stared blankly at the words before she sighed and put it on.

It was Saturday, so Yuri, most likely, wouldn't leave her room until Monday. She decided it was best to start her usual weekend routine of lying in bed while listening to music. She picked up her phone from her desk and was about to put on music when she remembered she had turned it off. Her stomach churned, realizing she would have to turn it on at some point. Her foot impatiently tapped.

_Like a Band-Aid._

She pushed the power button and watched the screen light up. The phone's loading icon stopped rotating, and the home screen revealed itself. For a second, it was silent. The next second, the phone lit up like the red-light district. Text, followed by voicemail followed by text notification, popped up and cluttered the screen in record time. Yuri grabbed the bottom of her shirt, digging her nails into the fabric.

The text messages could be summarized as a series of apologies, questions if Yuri was ok, and pleas to answer the phone. Yuri didn't even want to know what the voicemails said.

"' Please Yuri, I'm so so sorry,'" Yuri read, "' I was an idiot. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, I need to talk to you. Answer your phone.'" Yuri closed her phone and tossed it onto her desk. She didn't want to read anymore.

_I can't. I can't_

Yuri sat on her bed with her back rested against the wall. She brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. The comfort she gained from holding herself was minimal, but it was something.

_Is this my solution? Do nothing and act like a child. This feeling will only get worse. Do something Do something Do something._

_Bang_. Yuri banged on the wall.

_Bang Bang Bang Ding._

The last one snapped her out of her daze. It wasn't her; it was the doorbell.

Yuri quickly jumped from her bed. Her leg got caught on one of the blankets causing her to fall face-first to the ground. It didn't matter. She quickly recovered and bolted out of her room. Not controlling her speed, she crashed into the front door. She barely took any time to recover before she swung open the door.

"Tomoko I," Yuri didn't see a short black-haired girl standing in front of her, but instead, a tall blonde.

"Hello, Tamura-san."

Yuri's neck stiffened. "H-hello, Asuka." Yuri was more surprised than disappointed.

"How has your day been?"

"Fine. How has your day been?"

"Good, good." Asuka put a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were wandering. "You probably want me to get right to the point, right?" Yuri nodded. Asuka looked at Yuri with a solemn expression. "Tomoko didn't look too well at study session yesterday."

"And?" Yuri had one hand on the door.

"She couldn't focus. She kept leaving the room to check her phone or make calls. She wouldn't listen to me and barely talked. Eventually, she just left, saying she didn't feel well. Do you know why?

Yuri bit her lip. "No. What does that have to do with me?"

"Tamura-san please don't act dumb." Asuka snapped. Yuri reeled back. "You and Tomoko left for the bathroom together. A few minutes later, Tomoko comes back, alone, with a bloody paper towel, and you aren't seen for the rest of the day." Asuka crossed her arms. "What does that look like?"

Yuri felt like she was just slapped. "Is that all you came here to say?"

"No." Asuka took a deep breath. "I… I want you to talk to her. I know how much she means to you." Asuka lowered her eyes. "And, I can tell… how much you mean to her."

Yuri looked away. "Your wrong."

"No, I'm not. The sooner you accept that, the better," Asuka recomposed herself, "I'm sorry, I didn't come here to scold you. Just, please, talk to her." She looked into Yuri's eyes. "I think you're the only one who can." Yuri looked back at Asuka. "Have a pleasant day." Asuka bowed. I'll see you at school." She started walking away.

"Hey." Asuka turned around. Yuri stood frigid at the door. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Asuka gave her a sincere smile.

Yuri closed the door behind her. She walked to her room with a new sense of purpose.

_It's now or never. You can do this._

Yuri snatched her phone from her desk. When she was about to dial the numbers, her phone rang. Yuri's heart burst when she saw the numbers. She clicked the green icon and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Tomoko."


	7. Finale

"H-hey, Y-yuri-chan."

"What do you want?"

Tomoko was awkwardly standing on Yuri's porch. Yuri had agreed to meet Tomoko, but she was not to pass the doorway. Tomoko was clenching the bottom of her shirt as she tried her hardest to face Yuri.

"Well?" Yuri shifted her weight against the doorframe.

"Um, you see, uh I wanted,"

"Did you want to make out again, or are we too exposed at my house?"

_Let her talk._

"No, no," Tomoko's face was sinking "I- I er, I guess I should. I wanted to-to say."

"That you were just fucking with me, and you don't actually like girls."

_Shut up._

"Yuri, t-that's not."

"What?" tears were forming in Yuri's eyes. "What is it!?"

_Shut up!_

"I'm sorry!" Tomko finally expelled the words. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so fucking sorry!" Tomoko collapsed to the floor, holding her sobbing face.

Yuri was taken aback.

_What did you think would happen when you started yelling? Idiot._

"Tomoko?"

"It's, it's just too much. I'm sorry." Tomoko was covering her head. She was shaking.

_I hurt her that badly? She's terrified of me. I hurt her. I'm horrible._

"I'm sorry, Tomoko." Yuri grabbed the door handle.

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll never hurt you again." Yuri started closing the door. "I understand if you never want to see me again."

_She deserves better._

"No, Yuri!" Tomoko slammed her hand against the doorframe. "Please don't leave me. I'm not mad at you. Please!"

"But I hurt you. You're not," The words got stuck in her throat. "scared of me?"

"What? No. You didn't. It wasn't. I'm sorry." Tomoko was pulling her hair." I was just. I used you. I was stressed and scared and mad and I used you."

"What?"

"It." Tomoko was choking back tears. "It's my brother."

"Your brother?"

"He's gone. I don't know where he is. He's just gone."

In the kitchen, the electric teapot started beeping. Yuri poured the boiling water into two small mugs. She placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Tomoko: slumped, resting her head on her arms.

"Thank you." Tomoko timidly took the cup.

"It's chamomile." Yuri put down her cup as she took a seat across from Tomoko. The tea was used to aid Yuri's sleep, but she decided to use it for the current situation anyways.

The pair sat in silence. Tomoko was tracing the rim of her cup. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of a wall clock. They needed to talk, but someone needed to break the silence.

"So, your brother?"

"Yeah." Tomoko slowly lifted her head. At an angle, she took a sip of her tea. Letting out a sigh, she nodded. "He came out not too long ago." She was tapping her cup to a tempo. "I was happy for him. Got another in the family. _Heh,_ Right?" She smiled at Yuri.

Yuri didn't smile back.

"But, but my parents." She made a waving motion. "A-at first, they seemed fine with it. But then, they started making small comments, or er _jokes_ during dinner. They would say things here or there. I think they thought it was just harmless fun." Tomoko was clenching and unclenching her fist. "He said it didn't bother him, but each day he would look worse than the last. Sometimes, I could hear them arguing, shouting through the walls. I should've seen it," Tomoko started scratching her head.

Yuri reached into her pocket and pulled out a flimsy band. She silently placed it in front of Tomoko.

Tomoko looked at the rubber band, then at Yuri. "T-thanks." Tomoko wrapped the band around her index finger and thumb. She stretched the band with a few hand stretches, calming herself. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "A few days ago, I came back from school, and they, my parents, were sitting in the kitchen. They said he ran away."

"Has he tried to contact you?" Yuri already knew the answer.

"No. I've tried calling him, but he never answers."

_She kept leaving the room to check her phone._

"I have no idea where he is. I'm so fucking worried about him."

_She just left, saying she didn't feel well._

"I didn't even get to say goodbye." The rubber band was leaving marks on Tomoko's skin.

Yuri's chest started to hurt as if the oxygen had just been stolen from her lungs. She felt it again. She felt guilty. She felt selfish.

_And when she needed me, what did I do? Moron. You really can't read people, can you?_

It wasn't Tomoko's fault; She didn't deserve to feel that way. She didn't _deserve _that.

"Tomoko." Yuri got up from her seat.

Tomoko felt something settle on her. Feeling the weight of her girlfriend on her, Tomoko saw Yuri had saddled herself on her lap.

"Yuri?"

"I can't say I understand what your feeling, what your going through, but you've been stressed." Yuri lifted Tomoko's shirt over her head, revealing her grey tank top. "Let me help with that." Yuri gently took Tomoko's hand and placed it on her breast. "How does it feel?"

"I uh, I-It feels, nice." Tomoko's eyes were rapidly shifting between Yuri's eyes and her chest. Her hand was moist with sweat.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, wa-no, I."

"What's wrong?" Yuri released Tomoko's hand.

"It's not. I shouldn't. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have done that at school." Tomoko pulled her hand away. "I never want to use you like that again."

"Tomoko."

"But, if it's not too much, could you… hug me."

Not asking more, Yuri put her arms around Tomoko, taking her in. Not being used to giving hugs, she wasn't holding Tomoko as tight as Tomoko wanted her to. Yuri rested her head on Tomoko's bare shoulder.

_She feels cold_

"Can I?"

When Yuri nodded, Tomoko wrapped her arms around Yuri. Tomoko could feel Yuri's back stiffen. She buried her face in Yuri's chest, feeling her warmth.

_(1 day later)_

"How are you feeling?" Yuri had Tomoko's head resting on her lap.

"I'm doing better." Tomoko could feel Yuri's fingers tangle in her hair; Yuri liked playing with it.

"Your brother?"

"No, but at least one of my parents is planted by a landline at all times."

"They sound worried."

"_Heh._ Worried is a light way to put it. But yeah."

"Are you worried about what they might say about you?"

Tomoko turned her head towards Yuri. "Kind of. Part of me thinks, or hopes, they were just giving him a hard time 'cause he's a dude."

"But."

"But, part of me thinks maybe that's a lie." Tomoko shrugged. "I don't know. I think I might tell them when I move out, or even later."

"I see."

_That might be for the best. At least for now. _

"Yeah."

"What do they think you're doing right now?"

"Hanging out at a friend's house."

"_Hm."_

"It took a bit, but they let me stay over as long as I call by eight. After that," Tomoko placed a hand on Yuri's leg. "no one will get in our way."

"I never said you could stay over." Yuri retracted her hands from Tomoko's hair.

"Oh." Tomoko sat up. "I guess, er I, should have. I just assumed."

"I'll let you stay." Yuri pushed her face closer to Tomoko's "If you do something for me."

"Oh, I forgot you were such a pervert, Yuri-chan."

Yuri grabbed Tomoko's arms and pushed her to the ground. Yuri's sadistic stare was raining upon Tomoko. "If you call me a perv again, I might do something to you."

Tomoko, swallowing her spit, wetting her lips, let the word fly off her tongue. "Pervert."

Yuri slowly opened her eyes, only to be assaulted by the burning rays of morning light shining through her blinds.

_Gah. _

Yuri covered her eyes with her arm.

_What time is it? _

Yuri padded around her bed, looking for her phone. Her hands padded the bed until she thumped something soft.

"_Oof." _A sound came from under the covers. "Fuuuccck." Tomoko emerged from the sheets. She stretched, letting out a long-winded groan. "Yuri-chan, what time is it?"

Yuri looked at her girlfriend. With the sight of Tomoko's disheveled hair to her baggy eyes, Yuri could only act. She grabbed Tomoko and pulled her back down. Thoughts joy flooded her mind as she drifted back to sleep.

"Yuri?" Tomoko yawned as she nestled herself in Yuri's embrace. "Yuri, I think we should." Tomoko let out a yawn as she closed her eyes.

_Just for a little longer._

It would take twenty minutes for the reality of the situation to sink in… it was Monday.

The moments that succeeded were a blur.

"I don't have my uniform."

"You didn't bring a spare?"

"Hey, I don't have 2020 vision."

"What does your vision have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't. It was just a joke about,"

"Doesn't matter. Use my spare uniform."

"But it's too big."

"You don't have a choice."

"Are we gonna run to school with bread in our mouths?"

"We can hold it with our hands."

"Yeah I know, but it's kind of like in a manga when,"

"Moron. Just move!"

With bated breath and legs that would be sore the next day, the two reached the school gates with only a few minutes to spare.

"We… we made it." Tomoko, huffing and puffing, was on the verge of collapsing. Tomoko's legs gave out as her face smashed into Yuri's chest for support. Yuri was trying her best to prop up Tomoko's dead weight.

Close behind, a pink-haired average high school girl was running with a piece of bread in her mouth. As Nemo ran past Yuri and Tomoko, she caught Yuri's eye who, in return, caught hers. Seeing Tomoko currently getting a mouthful of Yuri, Nemo gave Yuri a nod and a thumbs up then vanished through the school doors.

_Odd._

"I think I'm good." Tomoko stood on her own.

The schoolyard was empty. Yuri and Tomoko were standing right outside the main doors.

"So, did you want to go in first?" Yuri clasped her hands together. "So we don't look, like,"

Taking a moment to ponder the question, Tomoko looked at Yuri. She then grabbed Yuri's hand.

Yuri surprised, looked at Tomoko, then at their interlocked hands.

"Even if I can't be _out_." Tomoko rubbed her thumb against Yuri's knuckles. "We can still act like girls… who are friends. I-If that's ok with you."

Yuri looked at her hand then at Tomoko's meek expression. "I think I'm fine with that."

Yuri and Tomoko stepped through the school doors, hand in hand. To each other: Lovers. To the world: Two entwined friends.

_At least for now._


End file.
